I’m having a makeup moment. To look at me you’d never guess – my make-up arsenal consists of cheek-coloured blush, Carmex cherry lipbalm, barely-there lipgloss and a blot of powder but that’s not the point. It’s make-up imagery I’m talking about. When it comes to photography, it’s the fashion imagery that tends to get all the love while beauty is the neglected sister in the attic – ridiculed or ignored. One of my friends who is something high up on a UK glossy openly sneers at the beauty pages. During our regular magazine critiques this contributing editor will skim past with a dismissive hand-wave, ‘Ew, beauty pages – nobody reads those.’ Er, excuse me, I do!

In particular, I adore a product-heavy still life page – smears of eyeshadow, great shiny blobs of lipgloss and scribbles of eyeliner will stop me in my tracks on my way to the horoscope page – especially when supersized to heroic proportions. And sitting in on a beauty editor’s meeting is the best thing ever – all the products are arrayed in front of you while decisions are made on how to shoot lipsticks – ‘shall we do slices or smudges?’.

Harper’s Bazaar are currently doing the best still life beauty pages – they’re like artists’ paint palettes. Actually, the face shots aren’t bad either…

14 Comments

Style Mews27 February, 2010 @ 1:02 pm

i agree fabuloso, im always collection make-up yet I only use a liquid eye liner blush and myth mac lipstick.. I literally have two bags full, I say it s for my practice shoots… it's so not! They must have had so much fun shmooshing the lippies! I'd be tempted to mix my own colours up after and pot them up! x

I completely agree. I kind of wish I could smush and slice my makeup collection in real life without ruining it… wouldn't it be more fun to use it like face paint? (That is, before looking in the mirror and realizing I look like a clown…)

I love the Stylist product pages that often include beauty – its like a sweet shop on paper and I find myself saying..oooh, ooooooh on the bus! And anyway, I always look at beauty images and remember them – my fave was the fad for featuring candy coloured beauty among or in cupcakes…soo pretty and also one that put beauty items in vintage tea cups and saucers..gorgeous. Hmm you see the food related theme here….!

i love the beauty pages, but then again i read everything in a magazine! i got an issue of harpers at the airport and was shocked it was so good. p.s. sorry for late commenting, very behind on google reader!

Welcome to Disneyrollergirl, the fashion blog by London-based fashion editor, Navaz Batliwalla. Disneyrollergirl is the go-to resource for fashion and beauty industry insights, emerging trends and editorial shoots from an industry insider’s point of view.